Perfect pet........rabbit, gerbil, kitten or bird???

[lleighmay]

Rabbits are "evil" and high maintenance, especially if you're going to keep them inside, especially if loose. My former (rehomed several years ago) rabbit mollified a 110 lb lab and a golden retriever and treated them badly daily and was working very hard on dominating me...... not to mention being destructive. Guinea pigs are delightful but rather delicate and sensitive to diet/temperature changes. As a kid I kept gerbils and loved them- they loved attention and were sociable (hamsters are anti-social and will bite when irritated or just for the heck of it). I tried to have rats but my Mom refused and didn't care which relative we named them after so gerbils were plan #2. My son's favorite small pets were rats- they came when they were called if running loose, loved to snuggle, and were extraordinarily clean (they will take a bath after you touch them because they think they need to). VERY interactive. Our rats always lived in a rabbit/guinea pig cage/hutch type configuration with an enclosed nest box/private area and were let loose every day when we were home. I always highly recommend them to friends with children who want pets as they have no bad habits I've ever found. If I didn't have dogs now I would have a rat in a heartbeat- they are easy to fall in love with and very easy to take care of, but I couldn't bear it if one of the dogs snatched them up.

PS- birds are probably the most messy pets you could possibly have (and I say this from having a 23 yoa cockatiel and other birds in the past

 

[Kanchii]

Rats all the way. They are absolutely fantastic pets with some socialization, they really want to come out and love you and play with you, you become their bff.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
You'll notice I said with a heavy plastic bottom, so the rats aren't standing on the wire. Very much like the type of cage lleighmay described. As for drafts, I guess some peoples houses must be draftier than others, since our rats were never sick.

 

[fowltemptress]

My rats and guinea pigs were outdoor pets, with little wood shelters for bad weather. They had nice long life spans, drafts and all . . . I've never found animals to be quite as fragile as most people think.

 

[nerfy]

I say a kitten, will sleep with him and he can hold and cuddle him, and perhaps put some life into that 8 year old cat that don't play anymore.
I have 10 year old cats that still play. They are still kittens.
When picking out a cat, get a purr on contact cat.
I do like the idea of a rat though. Mine went practically everywhere with me. Would sit on my shoulder.
And it would be only his.

 

[Farm Chic]

well, I came across an ad that has been posted for 2 weeks and the kittens were adorable! we just came back from checking them out and they are so playful and loving that they reminded me of my 8 year old cat! we decided to get 2 kittens

we still are planning on getting a pet for my son and it sounds as though the rat is the #1 choice for a pet. when I told my son this, he said, "a rat! are you serious? oh cool, I can name it scabbers!! (ron weasley's mouses name for all of those who may not know arry Potter)." He said that he would still like to have a bird. I am not sure what it is about a bird that he seems to like so much, but we are going to look at our options this weekend!

Thanks again for all of the wonderful advice!

 

[mudman]

Your son wants an elephant, trust me.

 

[SimplcitiyAltered]

I would go with a rat as well.

Birds are very high maintenance and a single vet visit can become very expensive .
You cannot just toss seed in a bowl they need a more balnaced diet which includes
pellets fresh fruits veggies foods. They are very needy and usually not a good pick
for a young child. If he just has to have a bird a budgie (parakeet) is your best bet
they are handable and they do not have that painful and destructive big beak. No
parrots lovebirds are a parrot as well and can be very aggressive and bite and boy
they bite hard they have removed chunks of flesh and love doing it. Budgies are sweet
and can be handled but a lot of precautions must be used when keeping birds.
No scented candles, incesnse, room fresheners, carpet powders, all teflon products
should not be used say goodbye to your cleaning products and say hello to baking
soda and vinegar and water. As all of these products will cause respiratory issues with
birds which will lead to death. They have very delicate systems. They need a
constant supply of toys to keep them happy and to keep them from becoming
bored in turn will cause behavioural problems and plucking issues. Out of cage
time is a must and they need to be safe because birds are just like a 2 year old
and will get into everything they are not suppose to and as others have mentioned
they can be messy.

I have 10 parrots which consist of 3 blue and gold macaws 3 lovebirds 3 conures
and an African grey. And it was a complete life change for us so much so that we
started a inhome sanctuary rescue. 6 of the guys up there are Sanctuary birds that
were not wanted anymore. So if you do decide to go with a bird please adopt from
a parrot rescue so many unwated birds are out there. And please email me if you
do get a bird and I can direct you to a place where you can get all the knowledge
you need to know for raising a healthy and happy bird.

Here are our babies.

 

[nerfy]

Farm Chic,
How cool, 2 baby kittens!
So how is the 8 year old cat adapting?
Scabbers would be a cool name for a rat. I'm a Harry Potter fan myself.
Simplicity is right, birds are sensitive, messy and sometimes not too friendly, I used to have a bunch. I am down to a male cockatiel that is about 15 years old.
A bird could be a great pet for him, but unless you have a cat proof cage, or the one time he forgets to close the door, it could get ugly with the cats.
Then again any of the previous suggestions could be fallen victims of the cats, except for the elephant of course.

Good luck

 

[nerfy]

By the way, if you decide on a bird, avoid some conures.
They have a terrible high pitched scream that pierces ear drums!